Asia is the largest continent on the planet, rich with different cultures and filled with more than four billion people. This, naturally, makes it an appealing study abroad destination. But obviously it’s important to know the cultural differences and what to expect before going there. Because you will be studying on a college campus, whether through an international partnership of your school or through a faculty-led program, knowing the differences between Asian colleges and American colleges is essential.

Note: All of the information below is based on careful research, and we have made the utmost efforts not to generalize, and to speak about specific countries whenever possible. As mentioned earlier, Asia is the largest continent on the planet, so this article will focus on the most common areas where American students study abroad.

In the United States, dorms are part of the college experience and are shared with at least one student of the same gender. Many colleges expect students to stay in dorms in the first year of college. Sometimes, students rent apartments near campus after their first year.

The dorm concept is very much an American thing, but do they exist in Asia? You may stay in dorms for international students when you are there, but other than that, dorms are not very common or don’t exist in most Asian colleges. However, there are dorms in China, which house students of the same gender. Chinese dorms tend to include more students than American dorms. In India, there are student hostels instead of dorms.

In universities and colleges in the US, there’s a club and activity for everyone. There are student leadership positions, business clubs, honor societies, music groups, sport clubs, and so much more. You can also join fraternities and sororities. There are even festivals on campus.

A post shared by Elizabeth✨ (@elizabeth.journals) on Jan 20, 2019 at 1:06pm PST

In the United States, students have flexibility in choosing their classes, even outside their major. When they take classes, they’re often in rooms with more than 100 students, especially when it’s a lecture. Students are encouraged to participate in discussions and speak up in class. Students have to do a lot of reading and writing assignments every day.

In Asia, professors lecture and students stay quiet, especially in China and Japan. Class discussions are rare in Asian colleges and universities as is speaking up in class. Students often cannot take classes outside of their major, but when you study abroad, you may choose from classes provided by your study abroad program and/or those that count for credit in your college.

In the United States, we take sports very seriously. We have tailgate parties and treat our athletes, especially the football players, like celebrities. Any student can also play sports for fun by participating in sports clubs.

You can do almost everything on campus in the United States. You can eat at your favorite restaurants in the student union center, you can go shopping, you can attend fitness classes, exercise in the fitness facilities, and even hang out on the quad.

In Asia, dining and shopping happen off the college campus, but there are facilities where students can get exercise, at least in China and Indonesia. You will not find fraternity nor sorority houses in Asia. You might also see that there is no hanging out on the quads — school is meant for studying (and occasionally for sports).

School Spirit

A post shared by The Canteen (@thecanteenwestwood) on Jan 1, 2019 at 10:23am PST

A huge majority of United States colleges have mascots and school colors that are often prevalent at sporting events. There are even team nicknames for the college’s sports teams.

There are school colors and mascots in countries like Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and India, but not to the extent that we see in the United States. In those countries, there are also colleges without mascots. There are no costumed mascots nor live mascots to be found in Asia, unlike in the US. School colors can sometimes be found in Asian colleges, but it’s uncommon for Asian schools to have team nicknames. In South Korea, school spirit means festivals and concerts, where K-Pop stars can sometimes be seen.

In the United States, you can wear whatever you want to school. You can wear leopard print, you can wear sweats, you can wear denim jackets, you can wear jumpsuits, the list is endless. University branded clothing is popular for lazy days, but fashion varies a lot.